Karren Brady: This Year I’ve Given Up On Resolutions…

There is a list of New Year’s resolutions I could make, but deep down I know I’d never stick to.

Among them would be, and in no particular order…

– Eat less and exercise more – Work less and travel more – Spend more time with my friends and family (and work less)
– Cook more (but eat less)
– Drink more water and much less wine!

In fact when I look at any list of resolutions I have made for the past 20 years they all revolve around my weight and my work! But truth is, I’m still working hard and still have that last stone to lose.

So this year I’ve given up on my own resolutions and focused on other people’s. Beginning with TV bosses, especially those in charge of news and current affairs. The New Year’s resolutions I’ve made for them is to employ more talented older women. We may have a woman PM but how many her age do you see on TV news shows?

Men don’t seem to have a problem holding onto their plum TV roles – such as Jon Snow (69), John Humphrys (73) and David Dimbleby, who’s still presenting and is 78. Of course I applaud this, but women don’t even get close.

And there are only seven women out of 100 bosses heading up companies on the London Stock Exchange. Did you know there are twice as many men named John who are CEOs or Chairman as there are women of all names! Please put gender equality at the top of your agenda for the coming year.

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And as for pay equality, it is said that women are likely to earn £300,000 less than men over their working lives. The main reason, it appears, is that women have time off to have a family. Truth is that women give birth to every taxpayer on the planet, so please give us a break!

Meanwhile, closer to home, my resolution for my daughter would be for her to tidy her room, and by that I don’t mean open the wardrobe and shove everything in; I mean actually hang things up. And to text me with what time she is coming home. The other day I had a text saying she would be home in the morning, problem was the text arrived at 6.09am – it was the morning!

As for my son, well I think if I asked him to make a resolution to tidy his room I might as well ask him to fly to the moon! I’d like him to do his homework without me nagging him to actually do it. To pass his driving test (but to do so you have to actually read The Highway Code) and not play his music so loud.

For my husband I’d like him to travel more… with me, but on the basis I have to work less to do that it’s not a resolution he can keep. So I think we’ll make a resolution together this year.

We will accept our kids have grown up and are making their own decisions. We will travel and exercise together. But this will involve probably no more than walking to the pub. And when there I won’t order fish and chips. He can order that and I can eat his chips. Because that doesn’t count, does it?